×
You've used up your 3 free articles for this month. Subscribe today.
Pennsylvania Prison Legal Mail Policy Unconstitutional, Enjoined
by Matt Clarke
On May 3, 2007, a federal court in Pennsylvania found unconstitutional the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) mail policy allowing legal mail to be opened outside the presence of prisoners if the pail does not display a prison-issued control number.
Derrick Dale Fontroy, Theodore B. Savage …
Full article and associated cases available to subscribers.
As a digital subscriber to Prison Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content.
Already a subscriber? Login
More from this issue:
- Prison Drinking Water and Wastewater Pollution Threaten Environmental Safety Nationwide, by John Dannenberg
- Suit Over Death in Rockwall County, Texas, Settles for $100,000
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Texas Last State in Union to Get Prison Phones, by Matthew Clarke
- Habeas Hints: Habeas Year in Review: 2007, by Kent A. Russell
- Dallas County Jail Deficient, Says 2006 Report; DOJ Files Suit, by Gary Hunter
- $56,000 Settlement for Torturous Eight Hours in New Jersey Jail
- Arizona and Indiana Prisoner Uprising at GEO-Run Prison in Indiana
- Innocent Indiana Man Awarded $9 Million for 20 Years Imprisonment
- Five-Year Forecast: Prison Population Will Swell 13%—Triple America’s Growth Rate
- Federal Jury Awards $530,000 for Wrongful Death in Minnesota Jail, by Michael Rigby
- Michigan’s Law Attaching Prisoner Retirement Benefits Trumped By Federal Law
- Overcrowded Washington DOC’s Solution: Ship ’Em Out of State, by David Reutter
- MDC Brooklyn: Sex Scandal and 11 Staff Indicted for Beating Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- Oklahoma Court Orders Sentenced Prisoners Transported to Prison
- PHS Fails Benchmarks In NYC Jail Medical Contract; Fined $250,000
- Indiana DOC Agrees to Remove Mentally Ill Prisoners from Control Units
- Like America, Japan Allows Guards to Walk After Prisoner Abuse Convictions
- March Madness in Georgia Prisons, by Matthew Clarke
- Prisoners Died By the Thousands Between 2001 and 2004, by Michael Rigby
- Rikers Island Diapered Mentally Ill in Segregation
- Reformed Dental Care Will Have Ohio Prisoners Smiling, by Michael Rigby
- U.S. Prison and Jail Population Continues Meteoric Rise, by Michael Rigby
- Inadequate Medical Care Alleged at Alameda County, CA Jail – Four Prisoners Dead
- State Auditor Flunks California DOC For Failure To Make Prison Population Projections, by Marvin Mentor
- Corruption in Awarding California DOC Medical Contract Exposed, by Marvin Mentor
- Texas Jail Pays $200,000 to Settle Rape/Suicide Suit
- California DOC Guards Win Injunction to Stop Prisoner Transfers Out-Of-State; Transfers Continue While State Appeals
- California DOC Pays PLN’s Attorneys $320,000 In Fees/Costs Related To Mail Censorship Settlement, by John Dannenberg
- $150,000 Settlement in Suit over Atlanta Prisoner’s Fall-Related Death
- Cook County, Illinois, To Pay $4,575,000 for Nonconsensual STD Testing
- California DOC Contract Registry Pharmacist Accused of Diverting 93% of Referrals to His Own Corporation
- Utah DOC Audit: Ingrained Staff Cronyism Stymies Workplace Effectiveness, by John Dannenberg
- New York High Court Invokes Due Process Rights for Civil Commitment of Alleged Sexual Predators
- California’s Prison Drug Procurements Separate from Other State Agencies
- Pennsylvania Prison Legal Mail Policy Unconstitutional, Enjoined, by Matthew Clarke
- Federal Prisoner Beaten On Texas Recreation Yard Awarded $350,000
- California DOC Federal Healthcare Receiver Issues Master Remedial Plan, by John Dannenberg
- “Please Rip Us Off” Florida Officials Tell Private Prison Companies, by David Reutter
- California Inspector General: $1 Billion In DOC Drug Treatment Program “A Complete Waste Of Money”, by Marvin Mentor
- Study on Barriers to Employment of Ex-Prisoners in Milwaukee Released, by Matthew Clarke
- News in Brief:
- Connecticut Strip Search Suit Settles For $2.5 Million
More from Matthew Clarke:
- In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, April 1, 2026
- Texas Attorney General Clarifies Scope of Statute Requiring Outside Agency Investigation of Jail Deaths, April 1, 2026
- D.C. Judge Blocks Transfer of Biden-Commuted Federal Death Row Prisoners to “Supermax,” Citing Lack of Meaningful Due Process, April 1, 2026
- Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026
- Groundbreaking Statistical Study of Pregnant Texas Jail Detainees Finds Over 400 Monthly, April 1, 2026
- Unsafe Drinking Water at Multiple Texas Prisons Highlights Lack of Transparency, April 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit Holds Federal Prisoner Does Not Earn First Step Act Time Credits While in Transit Between Prisons, March 1, 2026
- Missouri Judge Heavily Sanctions DOC for “Deliberate Disregard for the Authority of This Court” in Suit Over Prisoner’s Suicide, March 1, 2026
- Texas State Jails Fail: Institutions Conceived as Safe Spots for Rehabilitation After Minor Drug Convictions Now Flooded With Drugs and Major Felons, March 1, 2026
- Dissenter Excoriates SCOTUS for Denying Certiorari in Challenge to Constitutionality of Nitrogen Hypoxia Execution, Feb. 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- ICE Settles Suit Over Opening Detainees’ Legal Mail, April 1, 2026. Legal Mail, Attorney Visits, First Amendment, rights, Immigration Detention, Attorney/Client.
- Like Prisoners, Most Jail Detainees Now Banned from Receiving Physical Mail, March 1, 2026. Jail Specific, Mail Regulations, Legal Mail, Censorship, Digital Devices, Private Phone Contractors.
- Mail Went Digital in Alabama Prisons. Families Are Saying Their Mail Isn’t Being Delivered, March 1, 2026. Mail Regulations, Legal Mail, First Amendment, rights, Access To Courts, Access to Computers.
- Incarcerated Women Featured in True Crime Media Face Flood of Sexual Harassment, March 1, 2026. Sexual Harassment, Prison Labor, Hygiene Supplies, Mail, TV/Movies.
- Most U.S. Prisoners Now Barred from Directly Receiving Physical Mail, Feb. 1, 2026. Mail Regulations, Due Process, Legal Mail, Censorship, Warrantless Searches, Electronic Surveillance.
- United States Postal Service Declares Postmarks Could Be Delayed, Feb. 1, 2026. Mail Regulations, Due Process, Legal Mail, Access To Courts.
- New Hampshire Guard Abuse and Theft Uncovered Through Poaching Investigation, Dec. 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Legal Mail, Obstruction of Justice.
- Sixth Circuit Holds Dismissal Not Automatic When Plaintiff Simultaneously Files Same Claims in State Court, Aug. 1, 2025. Retaliation, Court Access, Grievances, Mail.
- Ohio Sued by Non-Profit Law Firm for Opening Prisoner Legal Mail, July 15, 2025. Attorney Client, Legal Materials, Attorney Calls, Legal Mail.
- Arkansas DOC Settles Retaliation Claim by Prisoner Who Also Won Back Confiscated COVID-19 Stimulus, June 1, 2025. Retaliation for Organizing, Legal Materials, Legal Mail.

